Oliver (given name)

Oliver (Serbian Cyrillic and Macedonian Cyrillic: Оливер) is a masculine given name of Old French and Medieval British origin. The name has been generally associated with the Latin term olivarius, meaning "olive tree planter", or "olive branch bearer". Other proposed origins include the Germanic names *wulfa- "wolf" and *harja- "army", the Old Norse Óleifr (a genuinely West Germanic name, perhaps from ala "all" & wēra "true"—possibly cognate with Álvaro) and the Anglo-Saxon Alfhere. Oliver is one of Charlemagne's retainers in the 11th-century Song of Roland. The name was introduced to England by the Normans, where its form was possibly influenced again by its Anglo-Saxon cognate Alfhere. It was commonly used in medieval England, but became rare after the Restoration because of the unpopularity of Oliver Cromwell. The name was revived in the 19th century, possibly inspired by the title character of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist (1838). Pet forms of the English given name include Ollie and, in medieval times, Noll. Modern variants include French Olivier, Hungarian Olivér, Indonesian Oliver, Irish Oilibhéar or Oilibhéir, Scottish Gaelic Oilbhreis, Portuguese Olivério, Italian Oliviero, Spanish Oliverio, and Polish Oliwier or Oliwer. In 2015, Oliver was the most popular given name for boys in Australia.